Wings Against the Sun
by sentinel28II
Summary: Princess Luna, Golden Lily, and Emperor Ironwing meet. One will die. One will fly away. All will be revealed, because no one is who they seem to be... The final chapter! R&R if you like!
1. A Lack of Gold

**_WINGS AGAINST THE SUN_**

 ** _A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction_**

 ** _By Sentinel 28A_**

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is supposed to take place before "The Lost Treasure of Griffinstone" (as it was written before that episode aired), and before Twilight's fight with Tirek. It does take place after the events of the first Equestria Girls movie. Twilight's still fairly new at being an alicorn at this point. (Note that my stories aren't supposed to necessarily be in the same universe._ Blood On the Moon _could fit in with_ Wings Against the Sun, _but, as Rainbow Dash is alive and well,_ Higher _doesn't fit in with either this or_ Blood On the Moon. _Also, Germaneigh and assorted locations are not really show canon, but on an unofficial map of Equestria I found online._

Princess Celestia sat back on the upholstered cushion, listened to the birds chirping outside, and sighed blissfully. It was shaping up to be another wonderful, spring day. She levitated a cup of coffee to her lips, took a deep drink, smacked her lips, and set the coffee down. Yes, it was a good day to be ruler of Equestria.

Then the door crashed open. Celestia winced. She turned and saw that it was Twilight Sparkle, wings spread and eyes wide in panic, and holding a scroll between her teeth. She galloped down the stairs into Celestia's sitting room, briefly forgot that she now had wings, and leapt the last three stairs. Her wings provided more lift than Twilight was used to, and she glided with a squeak nearly into the table. She just managed to get her hooves under her to slide to a halt short of disaster.

"Good morning, Twilight," Celestia said.

Twilight tried to say something, realized that she could not talk very well around a mouthful of scroll, and spit it out. Then she realized what a faux pas that was. "Oh, Princess! I'm—I'm so sorry—I know better than that—"

Celestia almost sent the coffee pot Twilight's way, then realized that a flustered Twilight was better than a caffeine-fueled flustered Twilight. "Calm down, Twilight." She waited patiently, dabbing at her lips with a napkin. Once Twilight caught her breath, Celestia continued. "Now. What is it?" She glided the scroll towards her.

"Um…Equestria's broke, Your Highness."

Celestia stopped midway through opening the scroll. "Broke?"

"Out of money."

The princess laughed. "You exaggerate. Equestria's not out of money, that would be quite—" Then she read the scroll, and paused. After a moment of rereading the scroll, Celestia set it down. "Hm. Well. It does seem that we are a little short of gold, at that."

"What do we do?"

"Convene Parliament and make some cuts to the budget, I suppose."

Twilight cocked her head to one side. "Can't you just—" Then she caught herself, putting a hoof to brow. "Oh, right." She remembered: under the terms of the Great Charter of Canterlot, Princess Celestia could not herself make changes to the royal budget. She could propose laws, pass them, pass sentence, send young ponies to near certain doom, and even dismiss Parliament, but she could not change the budget. Only Parliament could do that. This was to put some sort of brake on Celestia's power, and it was a brake Celestia herself had suggested. Normally Equestria chugged along rather well, with Parliament, Celestia, and Luna operating in harmony. Sometimes, however, there were hiccups, events which the Royal Librarians referred to as "history."

This, it seemed, was one of them. Running Equestria cost bits, a lot of them, and expenses always seemed to exceed revenue. Ponies paid taxes, and Celestia did her best to keep the budget as balanced as possible, along with a small legion of accountants. Normally, Equestria would be fine this month, but as Celestia read through the scroll again, this was obviously not the case. The realm was not broke, as Twilight said, but it was close. Too close for comfort. The reasons were threefold: repairs to Canterlot after the Changeling Invasion, the royal wedding of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, and the investiture of Princess Twilight Sparkle. Taken by themselves, any one of the three events would be well within Equestria's ability to pay for them, but all three was too much. It would take too long to convene Parliament; this matter needed to be taken care of immediately—but Celestia could not simply demand more taxes.

Still, Celestia was not just ruler of Equestria because of her ability to raise the sun. "There are ways around this, Twilight. I am surprised this was not brought to my attention earlier. Who was in charge of drawing up the budget?"

"Golden Lily, Princess."

Now it was Celestia's turn to facehoof. "I am getting old, Twilight. How could I have forgotten?"

"It's okay, Your Highness." Twilight smiled to reassure her mentor. "What do you want me to do?"

Celestia returned the smile. "You are so kind. We will have to secure a loan to cover the expenses. This is not that much of a problem. Equestria's credit is good."

"Who do we go to? Not the Griffin Kingdom."

The princess shook her head. "No. One reason why we're in this fix is because of the need to maintain a larger armed force on the borders with the griffins. A decade ago, this was not necessary, but with the new Emperor, Ironwing…" Celestia sighed again, this time not blissfully. Ironwing was young, headstrong, and made no secret that he would love to expand his holdings, at Equestria's expense. Relations with the griffins were strained. Not helping matters was Ironwing's offer to marry Luna to link the royal houses of the two nations together. Luna refused, loudly and angrily. Celestia was expecting a courier with an offer to marry Twilight Sparkle any day now, and wondered what the consequences of that would be. When Luna rebuffed Ironwing, the latter had moved troops to his border. He was wing-rattling, nothing more, but it was just one more thing to deal with.

Celestia realized she had not answered Twilight's question. "We will have to go to the Iron Bank of Germaneigh, of course."

"Is that a good idea? Isn't Germaneigh pretty much right between Equestria and the Griffin Kingdom?"

"Germaneigh has always been neutral. The Griffins owe them more money than we do. I expect no trouble from that quarter. As I said, Equestria's credit is good, and I will be happy to sweeten the deal." Celestia rested her head on her forehooves. "I will send Luna."

"What about the moon?" Twilight asked.

"I can handle the moon for a few days," Celestia reassured her. "I did it for a thousand years, after all." She hesitated a moment. "I think I'll send you as well, Twilight. You could use the experience."

"Of course, Your Highness. I've always wanted to visit Germaneigh anyway. But what about Golden Lily? She's always dealt directly with the Iron Bank herself in the past, right?"

"That _is_ a problem." Celestia smiled slowly. "I think I have the solution, though I will need to call on one of your friends, Twilight."

"They'd be happy to help!" Twilight chirped.

"Don't agree for them before you know what the mission is, my little pony." Celestia fixed her with a look. "You may not be fighting Discord or Sombra, but this shall require diplomacy…and diplomacy is one of the most dangerous games of all."


	2. Iron Banks and Iron Wings

The winged chariot landed smoothly, pulled by four of the strongest of Celestia's Imperial Guards. It had been a long trip from Canterlot to Flankfurt, even with a stopover for the night in Trottingham. Twilight Sparkle wished that someone would invent a covered chariot, or some sort of rear doors; being several thousand feet above Equestria with nothing but a safety strap behind them seemed a rather dangerous way to travel, even for alicorns. Now that they were down, however, Twilight could look around without feeling airsick.

Flankfurt was Germaneigh's most western city, about a day's flight across the no-pony's land of the Forsaken Forest to the Griffin Kingdoms, and half-a-day's flight to Snappleshore, one of Equestria's easternmost holdings. As such, it was perfectly positioned as a trade city between the Griffin lands and Celestia's. For this reason, it became a prosperous city, one centered around banking and trade. It was also, like all of Germaneigh, fiercely protective of its neutrality. An invader with an armed forces the size of Equestria's or the Griffins' would be able to overrun Germaneigh—but would pay such a high price that it would not be worth it. It existed in the eye of the storm.

A body-armored pegasus walked towards them, with a phalanx of less well-adorned soldiers with him, of all three kinds of ponies. Twilight remembered that Germaneigh was as diverse as Equestria, even more so to a certain extent, as many griffins lived here as well. Twilight dismounted from the chariot first. For the occasion, she dressed formally, in the sequinned cape and golden crown she had worn to her investiture. Twilight felt decidedly self-conscious, and as the pegasus bowed to her, she felt herself blushing. She bowed her head in return, hoping she did it right, then stepped aside to allow the unicorn behind her to dismount.

Golden Lily was one of Celestia's Chancellors of Exchequer, and the most senior, responsible for the day-to-day operations and budget of Equestria. Her coat was an off-cream, shading towards tan, her cutie mark a harp with a crown atop it. Her cape was quartered in the colors of Equestria, adorned with the full sun of Celestia. Her bow was perfectly executed, even with the added bulk of saddlebags.

Last, of course, was Princess Luna. Luna wore no cape or badge of office, aside from her small crown, nor did she need to. She was taller than the other ponies present, and her bow was likewise done with the grace and self-possessed confidence of a true princess. Twilight noticed a brief, almost imperceptible shudder go through the guards: it seemed that the stories of Nightmare Moon had reached Germaneigh as well.

Initial formalities complete, the pegasus drew himself to his full height. "Princess Luna, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Chancellor Golden Lily, I am Grenzer, Captain of the Flankfurt Guards. May I welcome you to our humble city, in the name of the people of Germaneigh and the Sacred Balance?"

Golden Lily was the one who responded, after a glance at Luna. "Thank you, Captain. I must say, it has been awhile since I have been here. Much has changed! The city seems somehow more beautiful."

"You're always welcome here, ma'am. Business has been quite good as of late." He turned to Twilight and Luna. "Is it correct that neither of you have ever been to Flankfurt, Your Highnesses?"

Twilight shook her head, and Luna responded, "The last time I was here, it was not much more than a small village."

"Ah, then I must apologize, Your Highness. You may not be aware of our customs. As the highest-ranking member of your party, would you mind stating your purpose for coming to Flankfurt, for the record?"

Luna visibly fought down an expression of irritation, but complied. They had known this was coming. "I, Princess Luna, along with Princess Twilight Sparkle and Chancellor Golden Lily, will carry out to the utmost of my ability, my tasks as charged by the ponies of Equestria and Princess Celestia. Our purpose is to procure a loan from the Iron Bank of Germaneigh. No fraud will be perpetrated. The Sacred Balance shall endure."

Grenzer nodded. "Well spoken, Your Highness." He motioned them to walk forward, on an appropriately laid out red carpet, between the two ranks of guardponies. Grenzer's bearing reminded Twilight of her brother, Shining Armor, though his mane was dark blond and his coat was more gray than her brother's white. Stuck between two rows of impassive, armored, and well-armed guards, and without their own—the charioteers had left as soon as the formalities were complete—Twilight felt rather naked, and wished her brother was there. Golden Lily took the lead, and Grenzer joined her. "If you don't mind me saying so, Chancellor, it is rumored that you alone in Equestria have the credentials and qualifications to put this loan to our bank's board of directors."

Lily smiled. "It's very sweet of you to say so, Captain Grenzer."

"Rumors are best left in the barracks, Captain," Luna said. She nodded ahead of them. "Is that customs?"

"Yes, but only for departures." They left the carpet and the guards, and came to several open-air checkpoints, surrounded by glass partitions, with more of Flankfurt's ubiquitous guards. From here, ponies and griffins—Twilight even noticed a few zebras in the crowd—went in and out of Flankfurt to meet chariots and other means of transportation. She saw that, above them, a squadron of pegasi orbited, in case any winged creatures tried to illegally leave the city without going through customs. It was impressive: there was no place in Equestria that had such security. Twilight thought the Flankfurters were being a bit paranoid.

That opinion went up even more when she got closer and saw that a trio of unicorns were inspecting each and every traveler. As each pony or griffin walked past, the trio would lower their horns and magic beams would play across the traveler. Grenzer noticed and explained. "It's necessary, Princess Twilight Sparkle. We have a real smuggling problem here. Not surprising, perhaps, given Flankfurt's reputation as a place to store precious metals. We do not worry about ponies smuggling anything in, since that would be unprofitable, which is why you will not be magicked until you leave. It's very routine," he reassured them.

Grenzer led them to another checkpoint, manned by a single uniformed unicorn. "This is the arrivals customs point. Sergeant Wachter will see you through."

Wachter was a young stallion, and he bowed deeply to all three of them. "Highnesses, good morning! Have you anything to declare?"

"Our luggage has yet to arrive," Luna replied. "It's following on another chariot later today." Twilight had noticed that royalty did not travel light. "The only thing we have to declare is are the diplomatic pouches in the saddlebags."

Wachter nodded. "Ah. Well, as I'm sure you know, Your Highness, diplomatic pouches are exempt from inspection. We'll proceed to the last step, then. All visitors to Flankfurt must learn and understand our laws—of which, essentially, there are only four." He spoke with the bored rote of somepony who said the same phrases dozens of times a day. With a hoof, he pushed across a sheet of paper written in the heavy but readable script the Germaneighans preferred. Twilight read through the laws:

 _In Flankfurt, these crimes are punishable by immediate execution, no matter the status of the perpetrator:_

 _1) The unlawful removal of precious materials, including metals and magical items._

 _2) The unlawful possession of weapons by non-citizens._

 _3) The unlawful use of magic to injure or kill either a citizen or visitor to Flankfurt._

 _4) Willfully conspiring to defraud, discredit, and deceive the Iron Bank of Germaneigh._

"Do you acknowledge these laws?" Wachter asked.

"We do," Luna answered for all of them.

"Very well, then." Wachter smiled at them. "You are now free to go about your business here in Flankfurt. Thank you very much for your patience. Have a pleasant and profitable stay, and good luck on—"

"Their luck has just received a nasty setback." Twilight and Golden Lily whirled to face the voice; Luna, with an expression of exasperation, turned more slowly.

Standing there, legs slightly spread and magnificent wings tucked in against his brown fur, was the largest griffin Twilight had ever seen, twice the size and stature of Gilda: his white-feathered front alone was larger than her. Like Luna, he wore no badge of office other than an iron circlet around his brow and metal taps on his talons; like Luna, he did not need them, for everypony and griffin knew of Emperor Ironwing.

His beak curled into a cruel smile. "Princess Luna. A pleasure, as always."


	3. Earth and the Buffalo

Luna's lips peeled back in a snarl. "Ironwing." She noticeably left off the honorific. "What an unpleasant surprise." She made a show of looking behind Ironwing. Three others stood behind him: the gray-furred griffin was no surprise, but the buffalo and the unicorn were. "I see you didn't bring your army with them, but they're not much good without weapons." Luna paused. "Or with them."

Twilight's eyes widened at Luna's temerity, and both Flankfurt guardponies and Golden Lily had taken steps back. Ironwing scowled; Luna's barb had evidently hit home. "I shall ignore your pitiful attempts at humor, Princess Luna, as well as your discourtesy. But then again, you have been gone for a very long time, yes?" He sauntered past her, as Luna visibly fought for control of herself. He paused before Twilight Sparkle, and his smile became genuine. "This must be Princess Twilight Sparkle. How do you do? I am Emperor Ironwing, Ruler of the Griffin Empire." He lowered his head and put one taloned hand over his heart. "It is a pleasure to meet Princess Celestia's most faithful student."

Twilight hurriedly returned the greeting, bowing her head so low her crown almost fell off. "You—you know of me?"

"My dear Twilight," Ironwing said, "the entire world knows of you. I will be watching your career with great interest." He graced Golden Lily with the barest of nods, then walked towards customs, followed by his retainers.

"What are you doing here?" Luna called after him.

"I come on a mission for my people, which I shall not discuss with you, Princess Luna." Almost as an afterthought, he flicked a claw at the three behind him. "May I introduce my porter, my valet, and my secretary. Now, if you will excuse me, I was proceeding with customs." He turned to Wachter, who came to attention so quickly that his horseshoes made a smacking noise. "I have nothing to declare but this diplomatic saddlebag, sir. My needs are small." He pointed at the pouch worn by his porter.

"Just some extra feathers and kittens to strangle," Luna said. When Ironwing turned on her with a glacial look, she smiled. "Oh, don't tell me, it's a secret." Twilight tried to gently nudge Luna with a hoof in warning, but she was ignored. "And your retinue doesn't fool me for a second, Ironwing. Your 'valet' is Daggerclaw—one of the last of the griffins' assassin guild your father wisely destroyed a century ago. Your 'porter' is Dark Storm, of the buffalo tribe, who Chief Thunderhooves banished for attempting to murder him. And your 'secretary' is Whitemane, who was likewise banished by my sister for studying illegal magic." She nodded. "Yes, Ironwing, I may have been gone awhile, but I've spent the last three years studying. What you are here for is quite obvious."

Ironwing motioned at his retinue and brushed past Luna, on his way out of customs. "Enjoy your day, Luna. We will meet again."

"That's strange," Twilight said to Luna. "Why would Ironwing come here? He's the ruler of the griffins. This is kind of a weird place and time to take a vacation, and I'd think every other reason would have something to do with money. That seems…kind of beneath him."

"It is," Luna replied, staring after Ironwing. "He's not here on vacation, and he's not here about money—at least not his. He's here to stop us from getting the loan."

"How?"

"Oh, 'tis a simple task, Twilight Sparkle." She glanced at Golden Lily. "All he has to do is kill her," she said softly, so only Twilight could hear.

Twilight shook her head. "But that's crazy. He'd cause a war with Equestria!"

"I know." Luna looked away. "And so does he."

* * *

Early the next morning—too early, in Luna's opinion, who wondered, not for the first time, why she was leading this mission—the three ponies set out on a chariot across Flankfurt. Twilight Sparkle wondered aloud why a chariot was necessary, since they could just walk, but Luna grumpily informed her that she would rather fly than walk, which was something Golden Lily could not do and Twilight could not do very well. For her part, Golden Lily said that she was not about to get her freshly-hooficured hooves dirty, and so they rode. Twilight noticed that they were not alone: many of Flankfurt's citizens chose chariots or wagons, and the road they were on was well-maintained and smooth.

"This is really fascinating!" Twilight exclaimed, nose buried in a guidebook. "Apparently the Flankfurters are attempting to make road-based travel the preferred method of transportation, and so they've built these things called 'pferdbahns.' It cuts down on hoof-wear and related injuries."

"Uhm," replied Luna, who was fighting to stay awake. The hotel served coffee, but it was abominable, and there was not nearly enough sugar. She waved a hoof at Twilight. "Let's go over the agenda today."

"Oh…okay." Twilight set the guidebook down and withdrew a sheet of paper. "This morning we have the reception at the Garden of Butterflies." Luna yawned, and Twilight wasn't sure if it was involuntary or commentary. "Then we have the Presentation of Collateral, and tonight, at dusk, the Flankfurt militia are showing their stuff at the Plains of Abraham."

"Sounds like fun," Golden Lily put in.

"Let us just hope they don't blow us up." Luna set aside the coffee cup in a holder helpfully included on the chariot. "I think I shall stand next to the griffins just in case." Since the chariot was going at a good clip, Luna stuck her head into the slipstream to try and wake up. Ahead, she spotted four familiar figures standing on an overpass. "Speak of nightmares and they appear. There's Ironwing." The griffin emperor's considerable height and the buffalo's considerable mass were unmistakable, even at a distance.

"Oh my," Lily said. "Something as heavy as Dark Storm should not be standing so close to an edge."

"I don't think a fall could hurt _him_ much," Twilight replied.

As if summoned, Dark Storm suddenly leapt from the overpass. It was not that far of a drop, but a landing on all four hooves that would have seriously injured a pony barely registered on the heavy buffalo. He stood squarely in the path of the chariot. Luna reacted quicker than everypony and shouted at the charioteers to keep going, but the four Flankfurt ponies neighed as one and reared up, sliding to a halt in a shower of sparks just short of Dark Storm. The buffalo grinned and snorted, then charged. He went down the middle of the pulling team, destroying the wagon tongue, tack and harness. Facing three tons of enraged bison, the Flankfurters fled as Dark Storm thrashed himself free of debris and drew back for another charge.

"Get clear!" Luna screamed. She was wide awake now. Twilight, showing presence of mind, was already working on the safety harness on the rear of the chariot, but it was a complicated affair. Luna saw Dark Storm's eyes alight on Golden Lily, and his grin widened, showing he was not here for formal greetings. He began his charge, which would smash through the chariot and flatten them.

Luna had no choice. Her horn glowed with black light. Dark Storm's charge came to an abrupt stop, bloated, then vanished in a towering cloud of dust and flying soil.

Other chariots had slowed and stopped at the sudden attack. Two Flankfurt guards trotted onto the highway from a side street, having seen the dust cloud. Ironwing thundered at them from above. "Guards! I _demand_ you arrest this insane alicorn!" He stabbed a claw at Luna. "She just disintegrated my porter with a magic spell!"

"I saw it!" exclaimed Whitemane. "The poor fellow accidentally fell, and Princess Luna killed him!"

The guard turned to Luna. "Is this true?" he asked shakily. He had heard the stories of Nightmare Moon. The other guard hesitantly put a hoof to the lance attached to his armor. By the laws of Flankfurt, both had the legal right to kill Luna on the spot. Neither obviously wanted to try it.

"No, it's not true," Luna answered with an exasperated sigh. She pointed at the chariot team, huddled in a corner on the side of the road. "While Emperor Ironwing's porter was 'accidentally' demolishing our chariot and nearly killing the pulling team…well, he seemed in some distress. I attempted to calm him with a spell."

"A spell?" the guard asked.

"Yes. I thought if he could not move, then maybe he would calm down. So I increased his weight." Luna looked sheepish. "It seems that I was panicking some myself, and accidentally increased his mass, ah, thirty times his normal weight. His abrupt departure straight down made it seem as if I, well, vaporized him." Twilight stared at Luna with wide eyes—and not because Luna was lying about being panicked. It was an abrupt reminder just how powerful the Princesses were.

The guard looked at Luna, then at the hole in the road. Dark Storm, Twilight mused to herself, might have survived being forced into the ground; he was likely only a few hundred feet below the surface. One thing was for sure: if he survived, Dark Storm was not going anywhere for a long time. The guard came to some sort of decision. "Well…I guess you haven't done anything wrong, Your Highness. I mean, if I had a panicked buffalo coming at me, I'd be frightened too." His expression showed that he was not quite convinced, but was not going to press the point. Being caught between the former Nightmare Moon and the Emperor of Griffins was too much like being caught between two handfuls of high explosives.

"Like Miss Whitemane said, it was all an accident," Luna helpfully added. Golden Lily flagged down another chariot. "We shall be at the Garden of Butterflies. If your superior needs a report, they can find us there."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

As she climbed aboard the other chariot, Luna looked up at Ironwing. "Emperor, may I suggest you see if there are any diamond dogs in Flankfurt? They could dig out your porter quite quickly."

To her surprise, Ironwing seemed to smile.

* * *

It was not Luna's imagination. Ironwing chuckled lightly and motioned for his two remaining retinue to follow him. "Was it wise to move so quickly?" Daggerclaw asked.

"Silence," Ironwing rasped. "I do not discuss strategy with underlings."

"Underlings?" Daggerclaw said, miffed, though he kept his voice low. "We are handpicked members of your assassin's guild! We are not riffraff, my lord."

Ironwing stopped and turned on them. His smile was gone. "To me, you are riffraff. I would have one Princess Luna over three hundred of you. Either of you." Whitemane's tail lashed in anger, but she wisely said nothing. Crossing the Griffin Emperor was not conducive to long life and happiness. Ironwing shook his head and resumed walking. "Dark Storm was a fool. He jumped without my order. I laugh because of Luna's rather inventive excuse for doing away with him."

Whitemane took another tack. "Forgive my impertience, lord, but…you _respect_ Princess Luna?"

"And you do not?" Ironwing laughed. "I should think being exiled from Equestria would teach you respect for the Alicorn Princesses. Celestia does not suffer fools. It seems I should not either."


	4. There's a Butterfly in My Punch

The reception at the Garden of Butterflies was going well, Twilight Sparkle thought to herself, especially considering the events of the morning. News of the incident at the overpass went quickly around Flankfurt, as expected, but diplomatically nopony mentioned it.

For her part, Twilight kept to the periphery of the crowd, drifting in and out of it, refilling her punch and telekinetically carrying it with her. She was treated politely and well, with many congratulations on her new status as alicorn princess, but Twilight was still rather shy. She could observe the formalities with the training of a Canterlot courtier, but this sort of party was just not her thing, and Twilight found herself missing her Ponyville friends. _Pinkie Pie would certainly liven up this bunch,_ she reflected with a smile.

One part of the reception that Twilight did enjoy was the variety of butterflies in the well-named garden. The area was enclosed under a large stone dome, and butterflies flitted around the various flowers and ivies that clung to the dome's size. They also flew around the guests, but were not a nuisance.

Luna walked up to her. "We are bored." She smiled at Twilight, using the royal "we" as a joke. "Are you?"

"Sort of. This isn't exactly my kind of place either." She took a sip of the punch, which was apple-flavored but nowhere in the class of Sweet Apple Acres' cider. Twilight noticed that Luna was keeping her distance from Ironwing, who despite his reputation was mingling with the crowd as well. She did not notice Daggerclaw disappear behind a fluted column, crouch down, remove a small container from under his wing and open it. He was back at Ironwing's side in a moment, and no one noticed that a new butterfly had joined the hundreds of others.

"It has its charm, mind," Luna said, sipping her own punch. "I've never seen so many butterflies."

"They are pretty." Twilight laughed softly. "I wish Fluttershy was here. She'd love this. She knows more about butterflies than anypony." She grinned at Luna. "She's talked my ear off about them. It's one of the few subjects that brings her out of her shell."

"I wish Fluttershy was here as well. We could use her. Anypony that can charm Discord would make a fine diplomat." A yellow-winged butterfly chose that moment to land squarely on Luna's nose. The moon princess' eyes crossed in surprise, and she chuffed as the butterfly flew off. "Now _that_ was annoying."

"It was also rare," Twilight added. "I remember reading about that particular species. It's been extinct in its native habitat for a century."

"Ah. So they're not native to Flankfurt?"

"No, not at all." She nodded in Golden Lily's direction. The white pony was in her element, chatting with everypony and griffin in her immediate vicinity, and attracted quite a crowd of admirers. "Do you see that large red one behind Lily? That one's really interesting. It's the only known carnivorous butterfly. It kills by secreting a deadly nerve toxin—" Twilight abruptly realized what she was saying. Before Luna could react, Twilight rushed towards Lily, saw that she would never reach the other pony in time, as the butterfly flew unerringly towards Lily's neck, and resorted to the only weapon at hand: her punch glass.

Twilight sent the punch flying in the butterfly's direction, the glass going end over end to shatter on the floor. The punch drenched the butterfly: suddenly deprived of lift, it spun to the ground. There, it flapped its wings frantically and hopped on tiny legs to try and get back in the air. Luna, who had followed Twilight over, saw it and brought her hoof down on the butterfly with a loud crunch. She saw Daggerclaw watching her with a look of complete horror. The assassin's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed in a dead faint. Ironwing looked down, sighed, and walked over to where the three Equestrian ponies stood.

"Twilight Sparkle," Luna said, her eyes narrowing in false reproach. "You must be more careful. How many times have you been warned not to run in a formal reception such as this?"

Twilight instantly picked up on Luna's cues. She hung her head and her wings drooped. "I'm so sorry, everypony," she murmured. "It's these wings. I'm just not used to them yet. I'm so clumsy."

One of the Flankfurt nobles shook his head. "That is to be expected from one so young, Princess Twilight." He shook out his wings. "Why, I still have trouble with mine and I am twice your age." That brought some laughter. "Here now, Emperor Ironwing! What has happened to your valet?"

"He has drank too much," Ironwing remarked with disgust. "I shall deal with him later."

"Well, I have no right to be criticizing Twilight Sparkle." Luna brought up her hoof. The once-brilliant silver shoe was now covered with the remains of the red butterfly. "It seems I've made quite the mess. Emperor Ironwing, would you be so kind and help me clean this off—"

Ironwing turned his back on her and walked away.

Golden Lily turned to Luna and Twilight. "I'm sorry," she said with a confused smile. "Did something happen?"


	5. Don't Mine at Night

It was early evening over the Plains of Abraham. Made up of rolling hills and pastureland, it was quite a change from the enclosed Garden of Butterflies. Normally, it might be a nice place to relax and picnic, but at the moment it was a battlefield.

Not a real battlefield, as Luna had assured Golden Lily. The explosions were mostly firecrackers, chosen for their sound and shock effect rather than ability to kill, and the "dead and dying" soldiers were acting for all they were worth. It was an exercise, meant to both reassure and intimidate, to show their visitors from Equestria and the Griffin Empire that, while Germaneigh was small, it could defend itself. Luna—who unlike Golden Lily and Twilight Sparkle, had actually seen a set-piece battle during Sombra's Rebellion—thought the show was impressive enough. The Flankfurt Guards were well-armored and their dressing was good if not perfect, and their artillery support was good. Golden Lily was surprised to see the use of cannon, essentially heavier and weaponized versions of Pinkie Pie's party cannon. Equestria rarely used them because magic was easier, not as cumbersome, and more devastating. The Griffins still used them, but Luna was mildly surprised to see Germaneigh showing off an artillery park. She suspected that the visitors were not being shown everything.

"Hmpf." Ironwing was evidently not impressed. The four of them stood on a raised dais behind the artillery: Luna and Golden Lily, Ironwing and Whitemane. Daggerclaw was in the hospital, and Luna had sent Twilight to attend a meeting at the Equestrian Embassy; Twilight was eager and well-read, but she was sometimes inexperienced with how the world worked outside Ponyville and Canterlot. Golden Lily, for her part, was required to attend the exercise, even if the very idea appalled her.

Ironwing gave another grunt of disapproval, and Luna gave him a sidelong glance. "A problem, Emperor?"

"Boring," he remarked. "They try to impress us with their military might. How cute!" He smiled at Luna. "And of course it is nothing compared to the might of Nightmare Moon." She turned away, and his smile widened. Ironwing turned the knife. "By the way, I understand the loan may not be verified until tomorrow, Princess Luna. There were a few snags today during the Presentation of Collateral, I gather?"

"None of your business," Luna snapped, then scowled at herself for letting Ironwing get under her skin. The bankers of Flankfurt were taking their own sweet time, and they openly questioned why they should be willing to lend money to Princess Celestia, whose "sound judgement" was in question, as they put it. When Luna pressed them as to why, one of the bankers mentioned that a government who included a barely mature alicorn and a known unstable one might not be most reliable of debtors. Golden Lily smoothed it over as well as she always did, flattering and charming as necessary, but the end result was a day's delay and an angered Luna. She felt the old stirrings of jealousy and contempt and fought them down.

"Ah well." Ironwing turned back to the battle. "It's a good thing you brought Golden Lily along. She is always so…diplomatic." He grinned at her. She gave him a smile back but it was as fake as the war around them.

The "attack" ended with a final cannonade, and the general of Flankfurt's militia stepped out in front of the dais. "Honored guests, it has been our honor to show you the prowess of the military of Germaneigh! We now ask that you come down and inspect the troops, as well as our new weapons of war!"

Golden Lily made a face—the pasture had been churned to muddy grass, and there was no way they were not going to get their horseshoes dirty—but there was nothing to do but accept. The guards were drawn up in mud-spattered armor, lances at rest, each staring straight ahead in perfect military precision. Luna, taking the lead, inspected them silently, with an occasional polite nod and smile. Her sister would be better at this. Golden Lily was also at something of a loss: her compliments were largely lost on a group of stallions whose job it was to appear tough and stoic, though at least the officers seemed pleased.

Ironwing, however, was in his element. He moved down the line of troops, making a comment here about the lances, chiding a soldier good-naturedly for a missing shoe there, addressing an older pony by name and asking if he had been at a certain battle with his father, when the griffins and ponies were still close allies. Luna realized that Ironwing had a talent as impressive as any pony with a cutie mark, and her estimation of him went up some. This was a smart and motivated—and dangerous—griffin.

No one noticed Whitemane. She drifted in Ironwing's wake, saying nothing; it was her job to be invisible. It made her real work that much easier. As Ironwing stopped to speak with the colonel of the regiment, her eyes slightly narrowed and her horn glowed. She focused entirely on Golden Lily.

Whitemane regarded the other two assassins as hopeless amateurs. Dark Storm's attack was clumsy, Daggerclaw's too exotic. She intended her kill to be the perfect assassination: so subtle that nopony would ever know it had taken place. She reached out with her mind and magic towards Golden Lily, saw beneath the white coat, beneath muscles and ribs, to the other pony's heart. Even Canterlot had spies, and some of them informed the Griffin Empire that Celestia's Chancellor of the Exchequer was not in good health. A subtle squeeze, just a narrowing of the arteries, and Golden Lily would die of a heart attack. Everypony would believe it to be natural; if Whitemane was lucky, they would blame Celestia herself for sending an unwell pony to such a stressful event. It would be perfect revenge for Celestia's exile of Whitemane from Equestria.

She turned her thoughts away from her hatred of Celestia and back to the matter at hoof. Ironwing was still being the perfect distraction, but then Whitemane noticed Luna look in her direction. She cursed herself for a fool: the moon princess was too powerful not to notice a unicorn using her magic. She would need better cover. Seeing that nopony was paying any attention to her, she moved away from the inspection, took a detour around the silent cannon, and headed for a copse of trees. There was a fence around them, but that just made things easier. Whitemane squeezed underneath the fence, crept forward, and once more began her silent assault on Golden Lily. Her horn glowed with magic.

Nothing happened.

Whitemane's brow furrowed in frustration. Golden Lily was supposed to have a weak heart: it would not take much to cause an arrest. Lily seemed a bit uncomfortable, but that was all. Whitemane made the pressure increase some. Now Lily's mouth fell open and she was panting some, and she brought up a hoof to massage her chest a little, but that was all. Her frustration turning to anger, Whitemane switched the spell to its intended purpose, which was to examine the heart, not destroy it.

Golden Lily's heart was not only normal, it was healthier than most.

"Hey!" Whitemane lost all concentration when one of the guards pointed in her direction. "What's she doing there?"

The colonel turned and whinnied in horror. "Miss Whitemane! Do not move!"

Whitemane panicked. Now everypony was looking at her, Luna in particular. She remembered Celestia's wrath and knew that the Princess of the Night would do far worse. She stepped back, turned, and started to run, despite the colonel's shouts to stop. Whitemane had taken two steps when she heard a distinctive _click._

The explosion sent Whitemane flying into the air. Golden Lily screamed, but Luna reacted first. She caught Whitemane in a globe of protective energy and gently lowered her to the ground. "Medic!" several soldiers screamed, and two pegasi detached themselves from the line and dashed to Whitemane's side. A unicorn arrived and his horn shimmered with healing magic. Luna, Lily and Ironwing watched as she was put on a stretcher and taken to a waiting chariot.

The unicorn came up to Ironwing, gave a brief bow, and addressed the griffin. "She'll be all right, sir…eventually. Her legs are pretty torn up, but I think we can save them from being amputated. Luckily the shock of the explosion knocked her out, so she's not in any pain, and we have her stabilized. Would you like to accompany her to the hospital?"

"That is not necessary." Ironwing stared after Whitemane, his face a mask of anger.

"What _was_ that?" Golden Lily asked. "My goodness…I thought my heart was going to stop." She waved off the medic's expression of concern. "Oh, I'm fine, doctor. Just frightened me, that's all."

"It was a mine," the Flankfurt colonel said. At Lily's quizzical look, he explained, "A buried explosive charge, set off by the pressure of a hoof."

"How barbaric," Lily replied.

"Indeed. But it may be necessary to defend our borders."

Ironwing began to walk away. "I would offer you Twilight Sparkle's services," Luna called after him, "but she's at the embassy right now…"


	6. Spice and the Pony

Twilight Sparkle held up the dress she had bought in Flankfurt's market, for a price that she was sure would singlehoofedly spur Germaneigh's economy. It was not for her, but for Rarity. _Now,_ she thought, _how do I keep Rarity from finding out I got this for her? A fashionista she may be, but she's not too bad at spying…_

There was a knock at the door. Twilight set the dress on the bed and trotted over to the door. She opened it, and nearly leapt backwards a few feet.

It was Ironwing.

The griffin seemed unruffled. "Greetings, Princess Twilight Sparkle. I tried to reach you at the embassy, but they said you had gone back to the hotel. May I come in?"

Twilight was torn between three choices: flee out the window and trust her newfound wings to glide her safely down ten stories, scream and slam the door in Ironwing's face, or invite the Emperor of the Griffin Empire into her room. She calmed herself down and realized that the diplomatic thing to do would be the third option. "Um…sure."

"Thank you." Ironwing walked into the room in the curious shuffling gait of griffins, shutting the door behind him with a flick of his tail. He looked around. "For a nation supposedly on the brink of bankruptcy, Equestria does well for its princesses." Twilight did not know how to respond to that, so she said nothing. The silence began to be uncomfortable. Ironwing was staring at her as if he anticipated some action, at least, but at last he smiled. "My apologies, Twilight—may I call you Twilight? You may call me Ironwing, if it pleases you. Truly, all these titles and 'Your Highnesses' does get rather old."

Truth to be told, Twilight was rather tired of it as well. Back in Ponyville, everyone still called her Twilight. "Can…can I get you anything?" She had no idea what exactly she was supposed to get him.

"Ah, no thank you. I just ate." After a pace around the room, Ironwing sat on an ornate rug and motioned for Twilight to do the same. "Given your relative inexperience in the formalities of diplomacy, and my own distaste for them, I shall get to the point."

Twilight nodded. The realization dawned on her that Luna and Golden Lily were still at the Plains of Abraham, and, if Ironwing was here, it meant he had gotten past the guards in the wing of the hotel assigned to them. She was alone. Unconsciously, she spread her hooves a little, getting into a fighting stance.

Ironwing recognized it and laughed. "Please, my dear Twilight! I'm not here to fight or attempt to harm you."

"That's rich coming from you," Twilight snapped, forgetting the diplomatic niceties. "Given that you've been trying to kill Golden Lily for the past day."

"How so?" Ironwing looked as guileless as a foal.

Twilight was momentarily taken aback at his temerity. "Well, let's see. Dark Storm tore our chariot apart—"

"An accident, as Luna mentioned."

"Daggerclaw sicced that carnivorous butterfly on Lily today—"

"My dear, the only thing Daggerclaw sicced today was the wine."

"And Celestia only knows what Whitemane is planning!"

"A long recovery." Ironwing sighed. "It seems Whitemane stepped on something the Flankfurters call a 'land mine.' All four legs broken with internal injuries. She was careless, nothing more." Ironwing's expression was that Whitemane's near death was neither bothersome nor particularly surprising. "In any case, Twilight, I am not here about Golden Lily."

"But…Princess Luna said you were trying to stop the loan!"

Ironwing shook his head. "Oh, I will admit that the thought occurred to me. A bankrupt Equestria would leave many opportunities for my realm. But think for a moment, Twilight. Will anyone in the known world truly deny Celestia money that she needs? Celestia is remarkably generous for a ruler of her stature. She has written off more loans to needy beings than she has ever collected. I could stop this loan, but she would find it simple to get another realm to send her the money. Or she would find another way. Celestia's rather good at that. In any case, I am not here to stop the loan _or_ kill Golden Lily, and certainly not you or Luna." His smile widened to a smirk. "If you don't believe me, cast a truth spell."

Twilight decided to call Ironwing's bluff. She concentrated and her horn glowed purple. Ironwing merely sat and waited. Her eyes widened when her probe revealed that Ironwing was not lying. No amount of magic could fool a truth spell; there were ways to get around it, but only if the pony believed the lie themselves. "But Luna…"

"Luna is paranoid. Understandably so." Ironwing shrugged his wings. "I will not lie, Twilight. I do enjoy tweaking the muzzles of Celestia and Luna. My father was too subservient to the ponies—no insult intended—and it's something I want to redress. It is not fair for Equestria to be the only nation in the sun, as it were. We griffins want to be seen as equals. We too want our place in the sun."

"Celestia sees you as an equal," Twilight reassured him.

"Yes, I know. But she also sees me as a threat, which is why the Royal Equestrian Army has triple the number of troops on my borders as they do other realms. Why, the Griffins haven't attacked an Equestrian village since the Shadowbolt Rebellion, and that was due to my doltish grandmother. Just last year the Buffalo Tribes attacked Appleloosa, and Celestia didn't send so much as a regiment to defend the town or punish the buffalo!"

"I was at Appleloosa," Twilight said. "It was just a misunderstanding."

"I'm sure. But wars can start through misunderstanding." Ironwing met her eyes. "Which is why I'm here in this room, Twilight Sparkle. I want to defuse this…misunderstanding with Celestia, and you can help me."

Twilight felt her heart leap in spite of herself. This was something she could do. As Celestia's student, she would make a trustworthy courier between the nations. If the Griffin Empire and Equestria could be friends, it would solve a lot of problems. "Certainly, Your High—Ironwing," she corrected. "What can I do?"

He ducked his head, and she was surprised to see that he looked actually nervous. After another long pause, he said quietly, "Marry me, Twilight Sparkle."

* * *

Twilight could not suppress a gasp. In fact, it was all she could do to breathe. In her wildest dreams (or nightmares) about Emperor Ironwing, marriage was not one of them. "Ah…um…" He waited patiently until she got her breath and senses back. "Why?" she blurted.

Ironwing chuckled. "Again, I will not lie. I do not love you—not yet. However, a marriage would cement an alliance between the Griffin Empire and Equestria. You _are_ a rather attractive mare, so I do not think a marriage would be so onerous." Twilight felt the blush bloom in her cheeks. No stallion had ever called her pretty before, except her father, and that did not really count. "As for myself, yes, I am a griffin of course, but my people do count me as somewhat handsome." He ruffled out his wings for her benefit. She knew from study that that was part of a courtship ritual; pegasi did something similar, according to Rainbow Dash. Ironwing's span was triple that of any pegasi Twilight had ever seen. She had to admit that he was not hard on the eyes. There was something exotic about him, like the smell of juniper or a spicy radish sandwich.

Twilight realized abruptly that she had to steady herself. Her vision swam for a moment. Her heart was thudding in her chest, and it was not just from shock at Ironwing's sudden offer.

Ironwing got up and stepped closer. He was the same size as Celestia, and much more muscular. Ironwing gave a low, laughing growl. "Our children would be beautiful, Twilight."

"C-children…?"

"Of course. Ponies and griffin can breed. It's not easy." Twilight swallowed nervously. "But if friendship is magic, then love should be even more so, yes?" Now he began to preen her mane. She felt the urge to do the same. "What do you say, Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight could barely think. She wanted to say yes, not just to marriage, but to everything. Ironwing was awakening thoughts and desires she did not know she had. "No…n-no…" She couldn't stop this, she didn't want to stop this. Celestia would understand, wouldn't she? "Celestia…"

"Celestia doesn't rule here, Twilight." He smiled down at her, his eyes almost glowing. "Her magic is not more powerful than this. Our children shall be more powerful than even her."

Yes, it was magical, Twilight had to admit, but as Ironwing bent down to kiss her, that single word—magic—was what made her half-lidded eyes suddenly fly open as wide as they could. "Magic," she said.

"Yes," Ironwing confirmed.

"Stop it." Her voice firmed up and she reached out her hooves, placing them against Ironwing's broad chest. "Stop this."

He laughed softly. "Trust me, Twilight, you will enjoy this."

"No!" Twilight shouted. She gathered her hooves under her and kicked as hard as she could. It was a kick Applejack would be proud of: Ironwing, taken by surprise, was thrown across the room. He got his paws and talons down and skidded to a halt, rolling up the carpet. Twilight got to her hooves. "I said _no,_ Ironwing." Twilight shook her head free of the magical cobwebs. "You cast a spell, Ironwing. You fogged up my mind, made it so I couldn't think."

Ironwing spat. "The sages call that lust, my little pony. You want me as much as I want you."

"No. You _made_ me want you. Maybe you think that's the same as actually wanting to love a person, but it's not!" Twilight gritted her teeth. The magic he used had been powerful; three years ago, she would've easily been seduced—but that was before Discord, Nightmare Moon, Sombra, and the Elements of Harmony. That was before she had friends. "You don't want me, Ironwing. You want what I represent. You want _Equestria._ "

* * *

"And what if I do?" Ironwing worked a kink out of his wings, ruffled them again, but this time Twilight saw it for what it was, a rather pathetic attempt at impressing her. "Yes, I used magic, because you ponies won't see sense. What is wrong with wanting to rule the greatest kingdom this world has ever seen?"

"For what purpose, Ironwing?" Twilight held up a hoof. "Don't tell me. I saw it in your face a moment ago, on the bed. You want power. You didn't care about my feelings. You didn't care about _me._ You want _power._ " It was her turn to fix him with a stare. "I don't know if your spies told you about this, but not too long ago I went to a different world—a different dimension. I ran into a pony there who wanted the same thing. It didn't end well for her, Ironwing. Marrying me would unite the two kingdoms, but then you'd use the united armies to conquer everything. And even _that_ wouldn't be enough."

Ironwing listened to her, brushing his neck feathers with a claw. When she finished, he walked over to her. "And why not?" he asked venomously. "Why does Celestia rule, Twilight?"

"Because she's fair, honest—"

"Wrong!" Ironwing exclaimed. "Because she's _powerful._ If it's an alicorn's destiny to rule, Twilight, then why not Luna? Why not Cadance? Why not _you?_ I'll tell you. Because the three of you don't want power. _Celestia does_. She's just good at lying about it, to herself and to you." He drew himself up to his full height. "I'm not afraid to admit it, Twilight. Yes, I want power. Because it's what powerful beings do. We _rule._ " He tapped her horn with a claw. "That is what I'm inviting you to do. Rule."

"No," she said simply.

Ironwing let out a splutter of frustration. "I am inviting you to help preside over a united realm the likes of which the world—any world—has ever known! This is an invitation that hundreds, thousands of ponies and griffins would kill for!"

"Then ask them. I'm not interested, Ironwing. I'm sorry," she added by way of politeness, although Twilight wasn't in the least sorry.

For a moment, she wondered if she had pushed too far. Ironwing's eyes were aglow again, but this time it was with rage. He raised a razor-taloned paw and bared his fanged teeth. Twilight, though her knees wanted to shake, made herself look at him. _I've faced ursa minors, I've faced Nightmare Moon, I've faced King Sombra—heck, I've faced the avatar of chaos itself. I'm not afraid of you, Emperor Ironwing._ The claws were poised: one downward slash would probably decapitate her. "Go ahead," Twilight heard herself say. She was not afraid, not at all. "Kill me and you'll find out just how powerful Celestia and Equestria really are."

The claws shook with suppressed rage, then slowly lowered to the ground. Twilight watched Ironwing master himself. "I don't understand," he said, in a more gentle voice than Twilight could imagine. "Why don't you want the power? Why don't you want _me?"_

"Because the power would consume us, Ironwing. Both of us. It would never be enough. There would always have to be more. We'd drown the world in blood."

For just a moment, it seemed her words had hit true. He looked contrite…but it only lasted a moment. "You're wrong," he growled. "You're _wrong_ , Twilight Sparkle. You will look back on this night and regret it." He stalked towards the door. Over his shoulder, he said, "Tell Luna to meet me at the abandoned hotel at the edge of the forest, on the northern outskirts of Flankfurt. I want to finish this charade, once and for all."

"If you kill Luna—"

"I am well aware of what will happen," Ironwing snapped. "And perhaps I want that, Twilight. Celestia's old in the hoof. I am young. My forces are better trained and better prepared, and we don't have to shake off the rust of a thousand years, or the softness of living in a place like Ponyville. We would win a war."

"For what?"

Ironwing scowled back at her. "You're a fool." Then he actually looked away, and from his body language, Twilight could see that he was embarrassed. "I apologize for that, Twilight Sparkle. You are no fool." He half-turned, held out a paw. "It doesn't have to be this way, Twilight. Please. Marry me."

The offer was genuine. She felt no pull of magic, no exotic smells. Twilight closed her eyes, then looked back at Ironwing. She had a very Rainbow Dash thought. "Go buck yourself."

He snorted. He pushed open the door and slammed it shut, then stormed down the hallway. The guards there were slumped in sleep; a spell had taken care of them, but Twilight Sparkle it seemed was made of sterner stuff.

Ironwing smiled.


	7. Duel in the Night

The abandoned hotel was an expanse of decaying stone and weeds. Nothing stirred there. The air felt heavy. Only the moon lit up the scene. The land was dead. For that reason, Luna thought, it was indeed an appropriate place for such a meeting.

Ironwing walked towards them from the other edge of the old lot in front of the hotel. He spoke as he did so. "I have done my realm's duty. I have walked the edge of the diplomatic snakepit, neither taking action myself nor acknowledging the insults Equestria has heaped upon me—here or in times past." He stopped two paces in front of them. "But the time for subtlety has past, Princess Luna. You know what I'm here for—to stop the loan."

Luna smiled thinly. "Strange. Twilight Sparkle told me you were here to wed her. Which is it, Emperor Ironwing?"

Ironwing returned the smile. "Ah, so she told you. Very well, then: both. However, given Twilight Sparkle's rather ill-advised rejection, then my other objective still stands."

"You're afraid." Luna's smile grew. "This loan ensures that Equestria maintains its strength on your border. My sister and I have spies as well, Ironwing. Our strength grows while yours wanes."

Ironwing's claws scraped on the stone. "Do not mock me, Luna. I suggest you follow Golden Lily's example and keep your tongue still. I see that your horn is glowing, but if you think a shield will save you, you do not know my power."

To Ironwing's surprise, it was Golden Lily who stepped forward stiffly. Her ears laid back and her tail lashed in anger. "I have had _enough_ of your insults, Emperor Ironwing! You insult the Princesses, you insult Equestria, and you insult me! Just because you can kill anyone who opposes you in your own 'empire'—" she spat the last word in contempt "—you think you can bully everyone else! The day is coming in which you shall fall, Ironwing—and that day is very soon indeed!"

Ironwing's temper finally snapped. "You dare threaten _me?"_ he shouted. His claws flashed upwards into Golden Lily's neck. Blood sprayed from the wound and the white pony collapsed to the ground. She twitched once, her eyes went glassy, and she was still. He turned towards Luna, ready to parry her attack. Luna merely stood there, wings folded. Her horn still glowed with magical energy, slightly brighter now, but she neither attacked nor made any move to defend herself. She wore that placid, maddening smile. "What are you smiling about, fool?" he hissed. "It's pointless now. All of it."

"Pointless?" Luna cocked her head to one side. "You mean the loan, or the fact that you just started the war you've wanted since the moment you came here?" She laughed. "You're wrong on both counts, Ironwing. There will be a loan. Matter of fact, there already is one."

Ironwing's expression was quizzical. "How? Golden Lily is _dead._ Without her, the bankers will never guarantee the loan. Twilight Sparkle is too young and you are too unstable, Nightmare Moon."

"Is that truly the best you can do, Ironwing?" Luna sighed. "I've come to terms with Nightmare Moon. As for Golden Lily…of course she's dead. In fact, she's _been_ dead. Twilight Sparkle, myself, my sister, and Lily's doctor were the only ones privy to that. She died two weeks ago, just before Twilight's coronation. You are right, however—the Germaneigh bankers would not deal with Twilight or myself, and Celestia could not come to Germaneigh without a royal rigamarole that would delay the loan longer than Equestria can wait."

"Then who?"

"A double. One of Twilight's friends, Rarity. You may have heard of her; she's a fashion designer with some talent. Her grasp of etiquette stood her in good stead with the negotiations, and she knows finances, with a little coaching before we left, of course. And since she and Golden Lily shared coat and mane colors, and were both unicorns, Rarity was easily able to slip into the disguise."

Ironwing was surprised. "I have heard of this Rarity—she's a bearer of the Elements of Harmony. You would sacrifice her so readily?"

"Did we?"

The griffin turned to the body. He ran his talons through it; they passed through without resistance. Too late, he realized he had met no resistance in his attack either. "An illusion." He whirled on Luna. " _That_ was why your horn was glowing. You didn't have a shield up; you were casting the illusion."

"One picks up spells here and there when one is exiled a thousand years," Luna said. "We knew that, sooner or later, you would lose your temper, Ironwing. I have always known how to get to you. I also knew you would ignore 'Golden Lily' and keep your attention on me. Had you not, you might've noticed that Lily never moved except to step forward, and never spoke except when I was not speaking. A simple illusion spell combined with disguising my voice, and the rest is, as they say, history." Luna gave a nod, and the "body" disappeared. "Golden Lily had to die, Ironwing. Rarity was not keen on dying, naturally, so the illusion was necessary.

"Rarity left earlier this evening, while you were rather clumsily trying to seduce Twilight Sparkle. She's far outside your claws now, Ironwing," Luna continued. "We had to force you to 'kill' Golden Lily, of course."

"Force me?" Ironwing exclaimed. "This is _meaningless,_ Luna! Golden Lily is _dead_ , either here or in Canterlot! The loan died with her…and when the bankers learn you've committed fraud, Luna, Equestria won't get a loan from a fifth-rate credit union!"

"Normally speaking, you might be correct. Germaneigh's bankers _would_ be rather upset with me, at that." Luna's smile remained. "At the Presentation of Collateral this afternoon, after our little incident at the Plains of Abraham, Golden Lily presented a portion of the Crown Jewels of Equestria. They're unmistakable, as well as priceless. The loan was verified immediately."

Ironwing nodded. "Impressive. Very well, you've passed that little hurdle. I am interested as to how you intend to explain Golden Lily's sudden disappearance…ah." He chuckled. "Of course. I've 'killed' Golden Lily."

"Exactly. Using the Crown Jewels was my sister's idea. That got us through the Presentation of Collateral without any of the bankers looking too closely at Rarity, and it cleared up all the snags. However, the unicorns at customs would notice that Rarity wasn't Golden Lily. So Lily had to disappear, and for that, we needed your help."

"And you've framed me for murder. Remind me why Equestria is supposed to be the 'good' realm." There was a note of wonder in Ironwing's voice, along with the sarcasm.

"Remind me why you feel the need to keep a standing army on the border of a nation that means you no harm and never has, Ironwing. Also remind me why you brought three assassins with you on a 'friendly' visit." Luna shook her head. "The sin was in the mind, Emperor."

Ironwing flexed his claws. "And if something happened to you, Luna? As I told Twilight Sparkle, the Griffins are ready for war. Equestria is not. You're still reeling from the Changeling invasion, your economy is rickety, and if I were to, say, decapitate the Princess of the Night, Celestia would be gravely weakened."

Luna sniffed. "You could do all that, certainly. Nopony cares about the evil Nightmare Moon, after all." There was just the hint of an edge to her voice. "But I would remind you that your grandmother believed she could take down Celestia a century ago, and she learned the hard way how wrong she was." She fluffed her wings out, just as a show of warning. "And this is assuming one important fact, Emperor…do you honestly think you can beat me?" He said nothing, but Luna could tell Ironwing had weighed his chances, and did not like them. "Do not lie to me, Ironwing. You don't care a whit about what Germaneigh thinks of you, even after you killed someone on their soil. You had no intentions to come back here, except at the head of a conquering army, and you hold their armed forces in contempt. Your intentions were to murder Lily from the start; we just manipulated you into doing so to benefit Equestria."

"You're right," Ironwing admitted. "Meanwhile, there will be a state funeral, and Celestia will give a hypocritical speech—a giant _lie_ —that Golden Lily was foully murdered by the Griffin Empire. You will weep genuine tears, of course. The ponies of Equestria will mourn her and hate me, and therefore the border will remain secure. I understand all of that. As a matter of fact, I wish I had thought of it myself." He fixed Luna with a stare, but one of pity. "I wonder how Twilight Sparkle will take all of this, or Rarity for that matter. To know that Equestria is built on a lie. Twilight is rather innocent, at that."

"Twilight will understand," Luna insisted.

"I'm sure she will. I'm also sure that her estimation of Celestia and you has dropped a bit, though. I wonder how enthusiastic of an alicorn princess she will be, now that she knows what ruling actually entails? About the lies and the crimes you must commit to maintain a strong realm? I wonder if she thinks it is worth it. Perhaps marriage to me will not be so distasteful after all. At least I do not bother to disguise my nature behind a gentle smile and a white coat."

Luna felt her own temper rising. They had outmanuevered Ironwing. Why did it feel like that Equestria was the one that had lost? "Go to Tartarus, Ironwing."

"I'm sure you will be there to welcome me." Suddenly his smirk was back. "I'm sure you're about to tell me that I will find it difficult to leave Germaneigh with a murder charge looming over my head."

"No," Luna corrected, "I know you're too smart not to have a way out."

"True. There are many secret ways out of Flankfurt. But it will be difficult, I admit…" He reached under his left wing. Luna tensed up for a weapon, but to her shock, it was no weapon that Ironwing withdrew. "…especially when you're smuggling jewelry." He twirled around a necklace. "This, after all, was my _real_ primary objective."

"But those…those are…" Luna stammered. Ironwing waited patiently. "Those are the Crown Jewels of Equestria!"

"Tut-tut, my dear Luna. As you said, they're only _part_ of the Crown Jewels. This necklace is indeed unique and priceless. I should know: it was once my grandmother's. Celestia took it as a prize of war after the Griffins were defeated. I won't say Celestia deserved to take it, after what stupidity my grandmother did." Ironwing began to laugh uproariously. "By the sun, the look on your face, Luna! Truly, I have missed my calling as an actor. I have been acting all night! You ponies are so easy to play—Twilight Sparkle at least has the excuse of youth."

"But…the assassins…"

"Only a distraction. I knew Celestia would not send Twilight or her friend alone. Once I knew you were coming, I needed to give you something to do. Had they succeeded, the loan might have been cancelled, or the fraud found out. Equestria would be soundly embarrassed.

"Either way, I win." He wiped a tear of mirth from his eye. "I must admit the illusion was a nice touch. I genuinely believed you had set up the double to die. Nor did I know that 'Lily' was this Rarity. It would have been a shame to kill her—my niece Gilda has a fondness for the Carousel Boutique line."

Luna was still behind, mentally. "How did you get the necklace?"

"This is Flankfurt, Luna. Everyone is for sale. I bribed a bank officer." He draped the jewels around his feathered neck. "As for how I knew about Golden Lily's death, her doctor is a spy on my payroll. His usefulness has ended, so dispose of him as you like."

Luna was tempted to see just what Ironwing would look like with his head on backwards. " _Damn_ you, Ironwing! You knew the loan would go through, you knew Twilight would reject you—"

"On the contrary, I did not know Twilight would reject me," Ironwing said. "I thought I was rather charming."

"You used a spell to—"

He held up a paw. "What's done is done, Luna. Perhaps you are jealous?"

The only thing that held back Luna from charging Ironwing was the knowledge that it was exactly what the griffin wanted. "You _had_ the necklace! You had what you wanted! Why come here tonight at all?"

"To tie up loose ends. If Rarity was exposed as the fake Golden Lily, the loan would have been revoked and the jewels would have been missed. So I had to be here…to commit your little murder for you." He bowed to Luna. "I bid you good night, Princess Luna. If you ever change your mind about my marriage proposal to you, you know where to find me." He flew off into the night.

Luna stood there for a moment, watching. Then she looked at the ground. "I'll be damned," she said softly. "I will _just_ be damned."


End file.
